Adventurer. Storyteller. Hunter of Wonder.

I was born in Ukraine and raised in ATL, and have called NYC home for the past 6 years up until December 2015. On Feb 8th, 2016 I embarked on an 18 month solo backpacking world tour across 6 continents in search of self discovery and documenting kindness around the world ( I've been dreaming of this trip for 7 years!).

First and foremost, I'm an adventurer and storyteller, who likes to kick off my mornings with Beyonce dance parties. I'm also a MOTH StorySLAM winner and a contributing writer for VICE, and feel most alive when giving a voice to people/things that matter and hoping to make the world a little sunnier, a little kinder, and a little more magical as a result.

ESALEN: Magic in Motion

My favorite movie was the Lion King growing up and I would often see Simba in the stars at night. Last night at 4am, floating on my back alone the hot springs of Esalen, gaping in awe of the freckled, starry filled sky, I felt peace for the first time in a while. So I asked for the one thing I’ve been fearing. My voice whispered slightly above the roaring waves crashing into the cliff side underneath, ” Yonina, Universe, Simba -whoever is out there – I’m asking for one thing: keep me protected..and I will do the rest”. No sooner had I finished whispering, than a flash of light, a shooting star, erupted across the sky as if to say, ” we got you girl” and a smile broke out ear to ear, feeling finally totally comforted. Another breadcrumb miracle ….

The last four days at Esalen, surrounded by thought leaders digging deep into topics like sex, relationships , and modern community on this magical land has been transformational. Grateful to Zach Bell for dreaming up “The Return”, for creating an incubator in which our thoughts/ ideas/ discoveries will grow and shape how we interact with the world and how it interacts with us. And for the phenomenal humans I met there- this is just the beginning. I see now that maybe all the rules I had created to keep me safe, may have actually been hurting me.
Really excited to be a student of life and live from a place of curiosity and not fear. ‪#‎Esalen‬‪#‎majestic‬‪#‎growth‬